In response to John...

I work in legal aid and am deeply concerned about the consequences of the proposed legal aid reform.

Legal aid lawyers themselves are not paid hundreds of pounds an hour. And I hope I speak for others when I say that they work for much less because they believe in providing the access to justice that is at the heart of legal aid.

It is worth bearing in mind that amongst those in biggest opposition to the leal aid reforms are those solicitors who work hard to provide access to justice in increasigly difficult cirumstances.

Jenny, Manchester,

Let me just add to my earlier comment. I had a civil claim. I appointed a solicitor whot obtained legal aid. He then carried out some work and then said he was too busy. The LSC advised I find another solicitor. I did and they too obtained a legal aid certificate. Then as with the first one they did not progress the case. The LSC then advised that I appoint a 3rd solicitor and get a counsel's advice prepared. I did that and eventually counsel prepared an advice saying the claim should proceed to trial. The LSC then withdrew the certificate. THAT perhaps is just one example of how ridiculous the whole legal aid system is, combined with the fact that solicitors seem to think that it is a god given right for them to be paid £150 plus per hour or they are poorly paid. They should be reminded that in the "real" World many people carry out worthwhile jobs such as nursing ,ambulance person ,teacher etc etc for damn sight less, so perhaps they should stop bleating and get on with working .

John, Woking, UK

What a farce this whole Country is now .There actually is no access to justice now unless you have plenty of cash ,the rest of us have to take our own Justice I guess. All this rubbish they are talking now makes no difference, the legal aid system is already dead and buried. Kind of reminds me of a story I heard as a kid, the words Goose and Golden spring to mind , and now a new one, legal aid lawyers, after all it is lawyers who must be paid hundreds or pounds an hour poor souls !.

John, Woking, UK

Its not a matter of race, its a matter of quality fo service. The government is proposing at hand legal aid money from geographically representative niche law firms across the UK to big, fat city firms. These firms are the kind that Lord Carter comes from, where £700,000 year end bonuses are common. This government has dropped the ball on the NHS and doctors and now it is turning its attention to legal-aid lawyers. Legal aid lawyers make half to a third of what city solicitors make and work as many if not more hours. Sweeping changes without proper research which affects the most vulnerable in our society, whatever their race, is election suicide. Where are the other parties with their alternatives - the Torries should be mailing out redundancy notices to the LSC staff right now.

Seth Richardson, London,

The gravy train that encourages criminals to prolong the legal process has got away with it for far too long and at long last the disgraceful legal aid system is being overhauled. Every tax payer should welcome this change. At long last the greedy legal representative will have less attraction for getting their guilty 'client' to plead 'not guilty' in order to prolong their period of freedom or conviction and to clog up the system so that the CPS might drop the case. Of course, by doing this the solicitor gets enhanced legal aid fees. If its much harder to get legal aid then the offender wont want to incur extra costs if he's paying himself. And what's all this - The Society of Asian Lawyers and Black Solicitors Network, I know that there is an over-representation of ethnic offenders being brought to justice, but where's any mention of white associations. If this was the other way round the racist cry would be loud & vociferous. I hope the Lord Chancellor stands his ground. No u-turns

Lynda Plum, London, England

The case against the LSC proposals is following the Carter report is overwhelming and in complete contrast to the lack of supporting evidence that the LSC are able to rely on. Witness after witness before the DCA select committee slammed the proposals. The DCA select committee have issued a damning condemnation of the proposals referring to the lack of research lack of pilot projects to test them. The Otterburn report commissioned by the LSC and both the LECG reports commissioned by The Law Society highlight the grave danger to legal aid firms and public access to justice. Can it really be that the Government and the LSC are right and everyone else with knowledge of the subject is wrong? These proposals must be put on hold until proper research has been carried out.

ROBIN MURRAY, TONBRIDGE KENT, UK